Mental United States: Study Finds 5% Of American Have ‘Serious’ Mental Disorders

Mental disease has been on the increase in the United States over the last several decades or at least the diagnosis of such disorders and now a study performed by the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health has found that 20% of US adults suffer from some sort of mental illness while 5% suffer from “serious mental disorder.”

In more troubling news the group says less than half of those people suffering from mental illness get treatment while 60% of those with serious disorders fail to receive treatment.

The large scale study included randomly selecting 68,5000 people living in homes, dorms and shelters and interviewing them to determine their level of mental illness.

According to the Washington Post the following findings from the 2010 survey were extracted:

Women, young adults, the unemployed, and those with low incomes were the most likely to suffer from mental illness.

When it comes to mental health care, 40% of those who expressed an ‘”unmet need” said they could not afford to pay for it.

Drug and alcohol abuse were not considered mental disorders for the purposes of this survey, but such abuse is more than twice as common in mental illness sufferers.

About 4% of US adults consider suicide each year.

Mental disorders ranged everywhere from depression and anxiety disorders to schizophrenia and other diseases that affect adults throughout the United States.

Do you know anyone who has suffered from a mental disorder but has refused to get help from a professional? Share your own stories in our comment section.